An Atlas of the Kansas High Plains Aquifer

Jeffrey A. Schloss, Robert W. Buddemeier, and Blake B. Wilson, eds.

A full online version of this publication is not available. Copies of
this publication are available from the publications
office of the Kansas Geological Survey (785-864-3965). The cost
is $15.00 per copy, plus sales tax, shipping, and handling.

Introduction

The High Plains aquifer is a large (approximately 33,500 square miles of surface
area) body of sands, gravels, silts, and clays. In western Kansas it generally is
identical with the Ogallala formation, and the aquifer system originally was
known as the Ogallala aquifer. However, the part of the aquifer extending into
south-central Kansas (east of Ford County) currently is recognized as
hydrologically similar but geologically different formations, and the combined
aquifer system is referred to as the High Plains. Figure 1 illustrates the
geographic extent of the saturated portion of the aquifer. Superimposed on the
map of the physical boundaries of the aquifer are the counties (with abbreviated
identifiers) and two important sets of administrative boundaries. The Groundwater
Management Districts (GMDS) are responsible for managing the ground water within
their boundaries, and the river basins provide the geographic basis for the
development and implementation of the Kansas Water Plan. These are not the only
relevant political boundaries; various types of districts (watershed,
conservation, water assurance, local environmental protection, etc.) all have an
effect on the water resource. However, a detailed enumeration of local entities
is beyond the scope of this aquifer-scale description.

This atlas focuses on ground water and related water-resource issues in the High
Plains aquifer in western and central Kansas. This region of the state largely
depends on ground-water resources, which are, for the most part, fully
appropriated and are declining in a number of areas. The western two-thirds of
the state contrasts with eastern Kansas where precipitation and streamflow are
more abundant, and the principal aquifer resources generally consist of alluvial
deposits that have direct hydrologic connections to the streams. In eastern
Kansas there generally is less stress on and competition for ground-water
resources. In comparison, the High Plains aquifer of western and central Kansas
encompasses a much larger area and contains a greater volume of ground water,
much of which occurs independent of current streamflows. Due to the more arid
environment, lack of dependable streamflow, and greater accessibility to ground
water, a large proportion of the water-right development in Kansas has occurred
within the High Plains aquifer region. The High Plains aquifer region has an
integrated agribusiness system based primarily on irrigation, and depends on
ground-water resources which, for the most part, are nonrenewable under current
water-use conditions. Kansas water policy and management practices thus must
encompass a variety of environmental, economic, and hydrologic issues, of which
meeting the water needs of western and central Kansas is among the most
challenging.

The primary audience for this atlas is therefore the community of policy-makers,
managers, and their technical support staff. At the same time, this information
will be useful and of interest to both the general public and to researchers and
analysts. To make the presentation as useful and authoritative as possible, it
has been organized in a basic pattern of brief summary presentations of the
various topics and results, accompanied by illustrative maps or figures. A
standard format has been adopted that addresses for each topic:

The subject and its definition;

Its relevance or importance to understanding or managing the water
resource;

Key characteristics or features (with reference to the map or
figure);

Sources of information or data and how the product was prepared;

Qualifications-Iimitations on the quality or use of the product; and

References to related topics.

More detailed discussions of methods, uses, relationships, and other more
technical background information are provided as appendices that are referenced
to appropriate topics in the basic atlas entry, allowing readers to control the
depth and level of detail at which they explore the topic while providing the
information necessary for scientifically informed use of the products.